Understand
by Wondering What Breakfast Is
Summary: In light, they are different. One is a warrior, the other is a prince. In darkness, things change. The dark shows that people from different worlds are still human, no matter what. KH/OHSHC crossover. Tamaki and Riku friendship. R&R?


_**A/N: Hello, hello, hello.**_

I do hope some of my readers love both fandoms, and those who don't end up falling for both. I found a beautiful FMA/KH crossover, and while this does have some similarities to the one in question, I thought it was a wonderful idea, and I hope I did it justice.

It's always been said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Original author of that fic, I hope you find this and swear not to kill me later.

Inspired by a bit of experience, and "Sinister Shadows" from the KH OST.

Enjoy.****

xoxo

"I don't want to fight anymore. Too much time and energy going to waste, you know?"

"...I-I understand completely."

Two boys sat in complete darkness, save for themselves, and thought. Thought until their brains felt like blowing up into the nothingness that surrounded them. One wondered where he was, the other wondered if he would ever see sunlight again.

The first boy turned to face the other, who had a strikingly odd appearance. Back home in the urban area, he'd seen some strange people, but none like him. Silver hair, a black cloak, what looked like a sword... This guy was like nothing he'd ever seen before. "Who are you?" He asked, curiosity getting to him.

"Everything, perhaps. Or maybe nothing at all." The second chuckled.

"That isn't quite the answer I was looking for."

"You meant my name, didn't you?"

The other boy nodded, and smiled a tiny smile.

The silver-haired boy flicked a few stray strands back. "Riku."

"Your name is Land?"

The second boy laughed and ruffled the other's blonde locks. It was a long time since he'd seen someone so innocent and... Normal. The other was still in his school uniform, with his knees brought up close to his chin. "I forgot that different worlds have different languages. My name could mean 'idiot' back in Agrabah... But who are you?"

The blonde sighed. "Tamaki Suoh, son of Yuzuru Suoh, the superintendent of Ouran Academy. My real name is Rene Tamaki Richard Grantaine Suoh, but my grandmother doesn't want me to be French, because that's too much like my beautiful mother Anne-Sophie and--"

"Whoa, kid. I asked for your name, not a whole life story." The silver-haired boy laughed a smidge.

"Right. Sorry about that." The blonde boy lowered his head, and let one tear slip down his cheek before hiding his face completely. "I don't know what got into me..."

Riku frowned a tiny bit at Tamaki. It was like sitting with a five-year old separated from his parents. Or like sitting with a teenage Sora. He wrapped his arm around the boy, and sighed. "Tell me about your home, your parents, friends, daily life, anything."

"But you just said..."

The teenager in the black cloak sighed. "I know what I just said, but it's been a while since I've heard about a regular kid's life where they don't fight off monsters and they go to school and they see their friends everyday instead of searching for them..."

Tamaki blinked. "Okay, but would you stop calling me 'kid'? I'm seventeen, you know..."

"Hah, older than me. I'm sixteen."

"You act older."

"You act younger."

"...Touché."

"So tell me about your family. Your mom... what's she like?"

Tamaki smiled at the thought of his mother. "My mom... she's beautiful. I lived with her until I was fourteen, and I miss her every day. She's a great woman, physically weak though. I've never seen a person fight so hard to go through life. But at the same time, she's strong too." He paused to think. "Riku... I think you'd be fantastic friends with my mom."

Riku sat in the silence, wondering how one boy could understand so much about him in the little time they had been together. "How do you know this, and quite a bit of my life, however vague it may be?"

"I've talked to you and her, haven't I?"

"But you've only talked to me for the entirety of ten minutes, maybe less."

"Yet you're still sitting with me."

"...Touché."

Tamaki smiled a rather bright smile, and Riku laughed to himself. "And you know... you'd be great friends with Sora."

"You've got a friend named Sky?"

"And one named Kairi."

"Figures. Her name is Sea."

Riku couldn't help but laugh at Tamaki. "Like I said, you'd be great friends with Sora."

"Tell me about him, then."

Riku sighed. "Sora is the hero of worlds, a keyblade master. I'm supposed be what he is, but well... I'm not. I made some mistakes, and I was weak, but I want to find him and apologize. Yet I wish I was the Keyblade Master, the chosen one. He's my best friend and all, but there are days when you just... I should really say, when you don't..."

Tamaki smiled. "I understand. I know what it's like to feel that way. My best friend too... We know how it is to be second best. If he were here, he'd be happy because he understands darkness better than any of us did..."

"Was your best friend that boy with the blade like mine? The one with the huge brown eyes?" Riku inquired. When he saw that kid again, he'd have to thank him for saving his ass a few times. He handled his better than he would've expected...

Tamaki frowned. "There was no boy with a... A 'keyblade', was it? Haruhi was the only one with a decent weapon, and she was--"

"She?" Riku cut him off. "That boy is a girl?"

"Long story..."

Riku nodded, and moved to face Tamaki. "She had a pure heart, but everyone in your world, they've been lost to darkness. If Sora does his job, they'll be back soon, I promise."

Tamaki nodded and teared up a bit. "I see. Did... Did Kyouya have a pure heart?"

"Ah, I'm guessing Kyouya is your best friend, and not the keyblade wielder..." Riku smiled to himself, knowing he was right. "There were many people with fairly uncorrupted hearts, even those who appeared to be the most corrupted of all. There were two people, though... They were the reason your world fell to darkness. Yoshio Ootori and an elderly woman whose name was never revealed to us. We've seen it happen before: Pure hearts lose themselves to darkness and the world follows suit."

Tamaki sighed, and stared at his feet like they were the most interesting things in the world at that moment. "My family will be okay if Sora does his job... I expect Sora will, too." He glanced up and locked eyes with Riku, but was taken aback. Behind silvery fringe were eyes that were... No...

"You have the most uniquely-coloured eyes I have ever seen. Such a bright, vibrant shade... They look aquamarine, like that point where untainted waters meet cloudless skies."

Riku was shocked not only by Tamaki's words, but by his eye colour too. "Thank you, but your eyes are violet... I've never seen anyone have naturally purple eyes. Excuse me for saying so, but they're beautiful."

Tamaki nodded. "We must find beauty in the bleakest of times."

Riku stood up and looked into the infinite darkness, letting his eyes shut. "You know, Tamaki, for a kid... you're awfully insightful."

"And for and old silvery-haired man, you're awfully innocent." Tamaki smirked.

The two teenagers locked eyes once more and laughed. And how good it felt. At that moment, it was just two boys, misguided and lost, who could still appreciate a joke. It was a rarity at a time like this, when people were warring not only with each other, but with themselves too. It took so much strength to keep from falling to the Heartless.

Smiling weakly, Riku extended his hand to Tamaki, who accepted it with grace. He stood up straight, and kept his eyes forward. A thousand hours could've passed and neither of them would have known. Time had no meaning here, but Riku knew the other boy needed to be back in reality, or he'd become as he was doomed to be.

"Tamaki?"

Lilac eyes met bright blue, and Riku looked away. A pure heart and such a kind gaze... He must be a Prince of Heart or something. Something he blurted out, much to Tamaki's surprise.

"A Prince of Heart? But I'm not royalty or anything, at least not directly..."

"No, it doesn't matter either. But notice you're the only one that survived with heart, soul, and body together. Aren't you curious why?"

Tamaki nodded, and sighed. "Some things are better left unanswered, though. The truth is a brutal thing, Riku. I'd rather not know why only I ended up here, when so many people are left to remain in limbo. I'd rather believe luck was on my side, instead of me having a special quality..."

Riku let it go after that.

"Anyhow, I'm going to leave you in good hands. There's a world: Hollow Bastion. Some of the residents know Sora, and myself as well, and if I leave you with them, they'll take care of you until your world is restored." Tears had sprung back to Tamaki's eyes, and Riku paused. "I promise, if I find any of your friends, I'll personally escort them to where you are."

"Will you promise me you'll find your friends too?"

There was another pause, but Riku smirked. "Promise."

With a flick of his wrist, the blue-eyed boy summoned a dark portal, and Tamaki just about fell over. Keyblades, darkness, Princes of Heart... Nothing made sense anymore. But he was one to adapt. He'd dress just as strange, and he'd learn to fight. And one day, he'd be like Riku and Sora and everyone else. He'd find Kyouya and Haruhi on his own, no help needed.

"Well, are you coming?"

Tamaki was knocked out of his trance by Riku's voice. He stood inches from the portal, a sadness in his eyes that he recognized as one friends had when they had to part. He nodded, but stayed in place. "Riku, you'll come back to see me, right? This won't be the last time I see you, I hope."

Despite everything he'd been through, he had never cried. And here, this boy's voice had gotten him to well up. "You can't get rid of me too easy, you know. I'm a persistent bugger."

Tamaki moved to shake the other boy's hand in gratitude, but he switched to hugging him. Even though their time spent together was short, they owed much to each other.

Looking back, the blonde smiled wisely. "Don't lose sight of your light, Riku..."

And with those words, Tamaki walked through the portal.

**xoxo**

_**Another A/N: Yes, it's long. I know. I have no intentions of shortening it. Bonding is cute. Riku's not going to let Tamaki go, you know...**_

I had to search for a favourite line, as I do love every bit of this one, but the one line I loved most was: Riku stood up and looked into the infinite darkness, letting his eyes shut. "You know, Tamaki, for a kid... you're awfully insightful." "And for and old silvery-haired man, you're awfully innocent." Tamaki smirked.

If you like it, love it, or hate it, I want to know. I love input of any kind. Even one word will make my day. So please, please review!

--J


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